Giant Food has made a big impact since starting its food waste prevention program in June 2022. Partnering with Divert, they have processed nearly 80 million pounds of unsold food. This effort has reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 37,000 metric tons, which is like taking 8,630 cars off the road for a year.
For foods that can’t be sold or donated, the program uses anaerobic digestion to turn waste into renewable energy and nutrient-rich soil. This way, nothing goes to waste, and it helps the environment.
Diane Hicks, SVP of Operations at Giant Food, emphasized their dedication to sustainability. She noted how proud they are to reshape the way the industry deals with unsold food and how it positively affects customers, communities, and the planet.
In addition to this program, Giant Food also revived its Local Produce Boxes initiative in July 2022. These boxes are filled with fresh, locally sourced items from farms in Maryland, Virginia, and Delaware. In 2024, they donated over 6.1 million pounds of food, which translates to about 5.1 million meals for those in need. They work with local partners like churches and soup kitchens through their Meat the Needs Program and Fresh Food Recovery to quickly distribute food.
All these efforts, including the Divert recycling program, helped prevent more than 35 million pounds of food from being wasted in 2024.
Other retailers are joining the fight against food waste too. For example, in March 2024, the Save Mart Companies teamed up with Flashfood to reduce waste. Recently, Starbucks became part of the U.S. Food Waste Pact, collaborating with companies like Ahold Delhaize USA, Aldi U.S., Amazon Fresh, Raley’s, Walmart, and Whole Foods Market to tackle this issue.
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